Flat file gas lighter



p 6, 1955 J. w. HOBING 2,716,879

' FLAT FILE GAS LIGHTER Filed Oct. 9, 1955 %%xxmiixxxwiixxm% INVENTOR.Jo/zrz l4. liobz'rzy ATTYs United States Patent Ofiice 2,716,879 FLATFILE GAS LIGHTER John W. Hobing, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to RaymondA. Haneberg and Richard H. Haneberg, both of Cin- This invention relatesto certain improvements in gas lighters and is particularly directed toa gas lighter construction for releasably mounting a flat type abrasiveelement or file in the lighter.

The main object of the invention is to provide a novel flat file clampelement, integral with the gas lighter handle, which will positivelyhold the file in position during use and which is readily releasable forreplacement of a worn file with a new one.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a gas lighter havingthe foregoing characteristics an extremely simple but an effective andrugged fiat file clamp construction.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a gas lighterhaving a U-shaped file clamp element formed integrally on the end of oneof the lighter arms in a manner such that a spring finger iscontinuously effective to exert a clamping pressure on the fiat file tomount it in the lighter, said file being readily engageable by commontools for release from the clamp and for new file replacement.

These and other objects of the invention will appear from the followingspecification and the accompanying drawing and are pointed out in theannexed claims.

In the drawings wherein like reference numerals indicate similar partsthroughout the several views:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a gas lighter embodying the features of theinvention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section taken on line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a section similar to Fig. 3 with the pyrophoric elementremoved, showing the manner of inserting a file in the clamp element ofthe lighter illustrated in Figs. 1-4.

With reference to Figs. 1 and 2 there is illustrated, for the purpose ofdisclosure, a gas lighter body 8 made from a length of resilient andflexible wire stock and comprising a pair of arms 9 and 10 connectedtogether at common ends by a double coil 11. The lighter is manuallyoperated by pressing the arms together whilst the coils 11 act to swingthe free ends of the arms away from each other, thus providing analternating closing and opening action for the lighter. The arms 9 and10 are each provided with an oifset thumb portion 12 and 13,respectively, which serve as an elfective hand hold for the lighter bodyduring use.

A pyrophoric element 14 is suitably mounted on a downwardly extendingterminal end 15 of the arm 10, and the intermediate portion of the otherarm 9 is turned downwardly and then laterally to respectively form anupstanding file holder portion 16 and a transverse base portion 17connected together by a right angled bend portion 18. An invertedU-shaped file clamp element 19 is formed on the end portion of the baseportion 17 and as best shown in Fig. 3, said file clamp has an upwardlyextending outer leg 20 connected at its lower end to the of the lightershown free' end of the transverse base portion 17 by a right angle bendportion 21 said leg being joined at its upper end to an inner springfinger 22' by a smooth return bend 23. The spring finger issubstantially coextensive with the leg 20 and has its free terminal end24' located adjacent to, but unconnected with the transverse baseportion 17. Thus the finger is free to flex laterally in the plane ofthe holder around the return bend 23 as a pivotal point due to theresiliency of the material of the gas lighter body and the relativelylong extent of the finger itself.

A flat file 25 is mounted in the holder in position such that itsroughened surface is frictionally engaged by the pyrophoric element 14(Fig. 3). For this purpose the opposite ends of the flat file areprovided with notches 26 and 27 which respectively receive the lowermostinner portions of the upstanding holder portion 16 and the terminal end24 of the spring finger 22. As indicated in Fig. 3 the lower face of thefile is substantially in contact with the transverse base portion 17 andit will further be noted that the terminal end of the finger is spacedvertically away from the base a distance substantially less than thethickness of the file body.

In Fig. 5 there is shown the manner of inserting the flat file 25 in thegas lighter illustrated in Figs. 1-4. It will there be noted that thespring finger 22 normally projects inwardly in the direction of theupstanding file holder portion 16 and that the straight line distancebetween the portion .16 and the terminal end 24 of the finger is lessthan the longitudinal extent of the file body between the opposednotches. To insert the file in the holder it is only necessary to engagethe notch 27 with the inner side of the terminal portion 24 of thefinger 22 and engage the notch 26 with an intermediate part of theupstanding portion 16. By forcing the raised side of the file downwardlyin the direction of the arrow 28 with a pair of pliers, or the like, thefile will assume the operative position against the base portion,indicated in Fig. 3, with the file placed under positive and continuousclamping action between the terminal end 24 of the spring finger and thebase of the upstanding portion 16. To remove the file from the lighterit is only necessary to apply a force in the direction of the arrow 29in Fig. 3 by wedging a screw driver between the base portion and thefile, whereby the file will be raised to the position indicated in Fig.5 where action of the spring finger 22 will be ineffective to secure thefile in the holder.

It will therefore be understood that I have provided a file holder for agas lighter which has an integrally formed spring finger that releasablysecures the file in positive operative position in the holder, theholder construction affording a readily operable means for inserting orremoving the file for replacement purposes. It is another feature of theinvention that all the parts of the U-shaped element 19 flex when a fileis clamped in the holder, thereby precluding the possibility that anyone part will be bent beyond its modulus of elasticity. Thus when a fileis inserted and held in the clamp by the element 19 the outer leg 20,return bend 23, as well as the spring finger 22 fiex and remain underclamping tension until that file is removed for replacement purposes.

What is claimed is:

A gas lighter holder having distinct and integral parts and made from alength of resilient and flexible wire stock comprising a pair ofrelatively movable arms joined together at common ends; a downwardlyextending terminal end formed on one arm for mounting a pyrophoricelement thereon; the intermediate portion of the other arm being turneddownwardly and then laterally to form a fixed, upstanding file holderportion and a transverse base portion, respectively, on the said arm; aninverted U-shapedfile clamp element formed on the end portion PatentedSept. 6, 1955 of the said other arm and having its outer upstanding legjoined to the free end of the base portion by a bend portion, and itsinner spring finger spaced from the leg and having its terminal endunconnected with and free to flex laterally adjacent the base portion; afiat file frictionally engaging the pyrophoric element and positionedadjacent to and parallel with the base portion; said file having a notchformed in one end to engage the inner, lowermost end of the upstandingportion; and a notch formed in the opposite end of the file forengagement 10 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATESPATENTS 2,490,571 Anicetti Dec. 6, 1949 Tiryakian Dec. 15, 1942

